Domestic violence, poverty, substance abuse, unemployment, and what some experts describe as "pervasive despair" mark the lives of many young Native people living on reservations, which many say leads to higher suicide rates among these youth. A recent report from the Washington Post tells the chilling stories of places like Gila River Indian reservation--where eight young people ended their lives in just one year, and Spirit Lake Nation--where a 14-year-old killed herself after laying in bed for three months following her father's and sister's suicides.

Native youth are more than three times more likely to commit suicide (a number that increases to more than 10 times on some reservations), and have post traumatic stress symptoms on par with Iraq War veterans. Experts say in addition to these factors, a "trail of broken promises" adds to a feeling of hopelessness, as do the experiences many youth have in public schools off the reservation, where they often face abuse, bullying, and sexual violence. But advocates also point to changes in some Native American cultures, once extremely protective of youth, that have diminished as tribes are pressured to assimilate.